Apricot Almond Thumbprint Cookies

When I was a kid I thought that any baked good that didn’t involve chocolate was a crime against humanity.  Luckily for me (and you all) my tastes have evolved and now I can’t get enough fruit-laden desserts.  I mean seriously… one of my favorite recipes is just a shortbread crust with baked apples.  Can it get simpler or fruitier than that?

Oh indeed it can- as evidenced by this new recipe coming your way.

I don’t even know what to write about this post except that these are cookie perfection.
These cookies are great because you are pretty much guaranteed to have all the ingredients in your pantry already: butter, sugar, flour, eggs, almond extract.  You may need to buy the apricot jam.. And yes.. I really advocate for using apricot.  Because it’s so awesome.
I really should skip the fancy schmancy title and just call these little buttery cookies what they truly are: perfect apricot jam delivery systems.  Be warned: there is a lot of butter in these cookies (Ahem, 1 cup, Ahem).  Just gloss over the statement in parenthesis and lets move on.  But seriously, if you think about it this recipe makes about 24 cookies, so that’s only like 1/24th of a cup of butter per cookie, which basically makes these health food!

There are apricots involved after all.

Sarah is the queen of rationalizers.
I have a small cookie scoop that I used to make these cookies.  Using your thumb or index finger create a small divet in each cookie.  Then, place a small amount of apricot into the center.  It is tempting to go overboard with the apricot jam, but it does tend to spread during the cooking process, so I’d advise not using more than about 1/2 teaspoon per cookie to avoid excessive ooze.

Yes, this is one area in which I’m advocating for moderation. (Also I’m totally kidding that you need to go out and buy special apricot jam just for this recipe.. I’m just going through a phase, aka a recent apricot love affair.  I confess that I have cheated on apricots and tested this with raspberry jam with amazing results.  I imagine blackberry or blueberry would also be fabulous).One other thing to note about this recipe is the length of time for baking.  I am always hesitant to post my baking times as I think my oven is a little off in terms of temperature.  However, I did bake these cookies for about 21 minutes and they came out well.  I think that they could have even baked longer if I wanted them extra crunchy. My point is, if you’re making this recipe don’t be weirded out by the long baking time, just make sure to start on the lower end of the time range and just watch them until they are golden brown to your liking.  Final notes: I advise eating these cookies for all 3 meals, but they do go particularly nicely with a cup of coffee or espresso for dessert.

Apricot Almond Thumbprint Cookies

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Ingredients

  

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup apricot preserves

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine softened butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix until fluffy. Add egg, salt, and almond extract. Mix until wet-ingredients are well combined.
• Add flour and mix until flour is fully moistened.
• Cover and chill the dough for about 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment. Using a cookie scoop, place 1-inch cookies about 2 inches apart on a cookie tray.
• Using your thumb, press down in the center of the cookie to create space for the fruit preserves.
• Pour about ½ teaspoon of apricot preserves in the center of each cookie.
• Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until cookies begin to lightly brown.
• Remove to cooling rack immediately to cool.